pattukalyan

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Pattukkottaiyaar (Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram): A brief biography

byDuraiswamy Navaneetham

1930 - 1959

Who was Kalyanasundaram?

What
was Kalyanasundaram going to be?

Had
career been chosen?

Career
had been chosen and no turning back

The
'promotions' in Kalyanasundaram's personal life

'Makkal
Kavignar' Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram

Candle
in the wind. But the wind turned violent, that too a bit early

Pattukkottai
Kalyanasundaram remembered

'Makkal
Kavignar' is a reformer

Tributes
to Pattukkottaiyaar

References,
Further Readings and Hyperlinks

Acknowledgments

Who
was Kalyanasundaram?

Sengam Padaithan Kadu, as Pattukkottaiyaar liked to call it, was the
village,
that gave rise to Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram, who in turn, left
behind
a wealth of simple but immortal lyrics to the world. His beautiful
village,
now being called in a corrupt form, Sengappaduthan Kadu, is located
Southeast
of local revenue head-quarters, Pattukkottai (10o15'36''
North / 79o19'37'' East), in
Thanjavur
District of Tamilnadu, India.

Kalyanasundaram was born to Arunachalanaar and Visalatchi
Ammaiyaar
in a humble farming family on April 13, 1930. Nobody witnessed any sign
of a poet-in-the-making in young Kalyanasundaram. Neither did he have a
formal education, nor did he complete his schooling. However, as it may
be unfair not to expect a poet from a family that had a tradition of
poets,
Kalyanasundaram will transform to be a poet and will come to be known
as
'Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram'. Kalyanasundaram's father is known to
have
written a treatise called Musukundanaattu
Vazhinadaik
Kummi. This book was written in traditional Kummi, a
distinct Tamil poetical style. His surviving brother Mr.
Ganapathisundaram,
a poet and a playwright, played the role of a constructive critic and
helped
Kalyanasundaram grow into what we know him as today. Therefore, it may
not be inappropriate to say that young Kalyanasundaram was basically
'equipped'
with talents and expressed them at his earliest opportunity.

In his mid-teens, perhaps around fifteen, his first song,
based on a
real event, was composed. One fine evening, Kalyanasundaram was
returning
from the paddy field and was walking along the bank of Thuraiyankulam,
a pond in his village. Something beneath the ripples caught his
attention.
The observation transformed into words,

It was not just the moment of birth of a song, but of a poet.
He would
soon embark upon building a bridge between common people and
literature.
His first song was not written down then, but was simply orally recited
and became familiar among his friends. The song does have Monai in
it, which gives it rhythm, even though it does not have complex
grammar!

What
was Kalyanasundaram going to be?

Kalyanasundaram soon grew into a tall handsome young man. His
family
was not an influential one and he had only limited alternatives to
contemplate.
He himself did not seriously consider poetry for his career. His
attention
turned towards acting. Yes, acting, indeed! In the mean time he had
many
opportunities to learn first-hand, the sufferings of common folk, who
toiled
dawn to dusk tilling their tiny pieces of lands. He himself worked
alongside
them. His labors and struggles were not just physical, but a kind of
resource
that enriched his thoughts, which will later transform into immortal
lyrics.
It may be a wild guess, but what if Kalyanasundaram had been born in a
wealthy family in the same village and educated in formal Tamil
literature?
Perhaps, a typical feudal lord, or a poet of higher order who never
cared
for common folks' miseries!

He had an inclination for the 'Self-respect Movement', which
was storming
across the length and breadth of the extreme south of the erstwhile
Madras
Presidency and was spearheaded by the legendary EVR Periyar. Young men
were gravitated towards Periyar's thought provoking speeches, which did
make sense to those who had been let down for too long in the name of
destiny.
No wonder then that Kalyanasundaram too was attracted by it. During
this
time he also had opportunities to listen to the fiery speeches of
Self-respect
Movement's indisputable pillar, Pattukkottai Azhagiri.

Also, miseries of his childhood made him pay special attention to
Communism.
Local Communist revolutionaries like Iraniyan, Sivaraman, Kalappal
Kuppu
and Ambalapattu Arumugam were almost a mythical inspiration for the
younger
generation in Pattukkottai area in 1940s. This was the time the British
were savagely hunting down Communists. The trend continued even into
post-independence
India as socialists were taking control of the administrative and
political
machineries at the higher echelons. The revolutionaries were shot down
successively in villages surrounding Pattukkottai in 1951. This had an
impact on Kalyanasundaram and pushed him towards Communism. He was, in
fact, an emerging politician!

It appears that Kalyanasundaram had sung several stimulating
songs in
the public propaganda meetings of both Self-respect Movement and
Communist
organizations. As the Indian government was tightening its noose on
Communists,
several of them went underground. Perhaps, this might have been one of
the reasons why Kalyanasundaram opted for an alternative career.

Had
career been chosen?

An actor from Pattukkottai named T. S. Durairaj was then with
Modern
Theaters, a movie making company in Salem (This company used to make
cowboy-style
movies as late as 1970s. The Eastern Ghats around Salem was well suited
for this kind of movies). Upon approach, Mr. Durairaj suggested
Kalyanasundaram
to join drama before attempting for movies and sent him to 'Sakthi
Naataka
Sabha' in Madurai. He started out not as an actor, but as a crew
member.
One of his earliest dramas was 'Kaviyin Kanavu'. He played the role of
Rajaguru in Kaviyin Kanavu. This was in October 1951. It is not clear
what
his first drama was, as this company was managing quite a few dramas
around
that time, such as, 'D.S.P.', 'En Thankai', 'Muthal Rowdy'. During this
period he was known as A.K. Sundaram, a shortened form of his lengthy
name
- Arunachalam Kalyanasundaram! He also played comedy roles. The drama
troupe
moved from place to place. Thus Kalyanasundaram came to Pondicherry
along
with the troupe. His moving to Pondicherry would have bearings in his
future
endeavors.

He had a chance to meet 'Paavendhar' Bharathidasan in
Pondicherry, during
the first half of 1952 and became well acquainted with him. During his
association with Bharathidasan, copying his poems and documenting them
properly were his chores. In other words, he was a student of
Bharathidasan.
Kalyanasundaram even wrote poems with the pseudonym 'Akalya', an
acronym
coined from his lengthy name! Bharathidasan was then writing dialogues
and lyrics for Modern Theaters. This enabled Kalyanasundaram to visit
movie
production companies along with his mentor. Later Bharathidasan quit
writing
for Modern Theaters, but Kalyanasundaram stayed on for a while.
However,
the latter himself does not appear to have written songs for movies at
this juncture. For a while, he also worked for Bharathidasan's magazine
'Kuyil'.

His sojourn with Bharathidasan sharpened his poetry skills.
Though both
were poets, technically Paavendhar and Kalyanasundaram were poles
apart.
Bharathidasan was known for handling sophistication, in the modern
tradition
of Bharathiyar, while Kalyanasundaram was interested in simplicity and
incorporated plenty of dialectical Tamil words. Though their styles
differed,
their works catered to the demands of both common folk as well as
literate
Tamils.

Soon 'Sakthi Naataka Sabha' was dissolved. Kalyanasundaram
moved to
Madras and joined 'Sivaji Naataka Mantram' and continued acting. This
was
probably in 1953 (exact time is not traceable). After an initial phase
of financial hardship, writing songs to this and other drama companies
and acting, eased his monetary constraints.

Kalyanasundaram's stay in Madras brought him several new
contacts. One
of them was 'comrade' Jeeva, who was then the editor of the communist
mouth-piece
'Janasakthi'. Kalyanasundaram's first published poem appeared in
'Janasakthi'
in 1954 under the name 'Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram'.

H

is first songs were written for a drama, 'Kannin Manikal'.
The story
of this drama revolved around labor issues and voiced communist
principles.
Jeeva recommended Kalyanasundaram to write songs for 'Kannin
Manikal'.

Career had
been
chosen and no turning back

Even as he continued acting and writing lyrics for drama,
Kalyanasundaram
turned his attention to Kodampakkam, which was a hot-spot for film
making.
Initial attempts were not so encouraging. Nevertheless
Kalyanasundaram's
determination and self-confidence propelled him to siege the fort. His
relentless assault on Kodampakkam paid him handsome dividends! In 1954
he made his debut as lyricist in the film 'Paditha Pen', which was
released
only in 1956. The song was written for the situation of a
photographer
soliciting the bystanders to have their photos taken.

His second movie was 'Maheswari' in 1955. He wrote five songs
for this
movie and it was released prior to 'Paditha Pen'! Hence 'Maheswari' was
the first movie that carried Kalyanasundaram's songs. This was a
windfall
for Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram. From here, he never looked back, both
professionally and financially. He quit acting and devoted all his time
to composing lyrics.

The
'promotions'
in Kalyanasundaram's personal lifeKalyanasundaram married to a wonderful woman, Gowravambal from
Athikkottai
(a village adjacent to Pattukkottai) at the age of 27. His mentor
Bharathidasan
presided over the nuptials on September 11, 1957 at Madras and it was
well
attended. In 1959, this couple gave birth to a fine baby boy. They
named
him Kumaravel.

'Makkal
Kavignar' Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram

In 1958 Tamil cinema magazine, 'Pesum Padam', chose
Kalyanasundaram
as the best lyricist of the year. The title 'Makkal Kavignar' was
conferred
on him by Coimbatore Labor Union (?) sometime in 1959. Poems reflect
the
principles held by poets. With Kalyanasundaram, sympathizing with the
poor
and the under privileged, and exposing those who predate on them, were
the governing principles. There is a high frequency of such ideas, in
the
form of giving advice to the common man, in his lyrics. Thus he wrote
and
lived for common folk. He indeed deserves to be called 'Makkal
Kavignar'.

Candle
in the wind. But the wind turned violent - a bit too early

Within five years (1954 - 1959) he made remarkable ascent in
the filmdom
of southern India. This may be termed as an accomplishment. His
meteoric
rise was not any chance, but his preparedness to make use of
opportunities
well. The candle was burning brighter as days passed by. However,
nature
had for him and the Tamil country an altogether different agenda. Yes,
it all started with a minor headache that progressed into severe
migraine.
It was sometime around late September 1959. Pattukkottaiyaar underwent
a surgery on his nose. It was supposed to have been a minor surgical
operation.
But the wind was determined to show its strength. Pattukkottaiyaar got
into post-operative complications. Bleeding due to the surgery became
more
severe. It appeared he did indeed recover from bleeding shortly after,
but a sudden massive bleeding took its toll on October 8, 1959.
The
bright roaring meteor went into tranquillity at the same velocity that
it came. The man who was made to leave marks in history, did so within
a short period of three decades and became immortal by his
lyrics.

After the untimely demise of Pattukkottaiyaar, there were
several movies
released that had his lyrics, thus stretching his legacy for another
half-a-decade.
The last movie was 'Mahane Kel', released in 1965. In total he had
written
lyrics for 58 movies.

Pattukkottai
Kalyanasundaram remembered

First compilation of Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram's songs
appeared in
1965 in print form. This was possible by the tireless work of P.E.
Balakrishnan
and his publisher 'NCBH'. Later various authors took up the cause and
worked
on it. Some of them were dedicated to bring out complete or near
complete
versions of Pattukkottaiyaar's works. P.E.B. and K. Jeevabharathi have
done their best. Comparative studies and criticism have also been
published
in the form of books by several authors, like Irakuladasan, M.P.
Manivel,
Tha. Pandian, Su. Solamon Pappaiah, Ki. Sembiyan, Paa. Veeramoni,
Paa. Udayakumar and others. Such books by experts are much needed. In
such
books, researchers weigh poets against other comparable poets and
criticize
their poems and bring forth justifications for it, which reveal hidden
meanings of the poets' verses. In other words, poets and their poems
are
'exposed'! A personal documentary with special reference to
Pattukkottaiyaar
has been published by 'Dilrooba' Shanmugam. This book provides insight
into Pattukkottaiyaar's personal dimensions. Also, innumerable articles
on Pattukkottaiyaar have been published, since his death, in various
Tamil
magazines. University of Madras has an endowment that funds research
projects
on Pattukkottaiyaar's works.

Tamilnadu Murpokku Ezhuthalar Sangam, Pattukkottai, brought
out souvenirs
on 50th, 56th and 60th birth anniversaries of Pattukkottaiyaar. A
bronze
statue was unveiled at a busy junction in Pattukkottai town and a
special
souvenir was released on the statue unveiling ceremony in 1995. (See
'References' for complete information).

The
Government of Tamil Nadu has fittingly done
its part by recognizing Pattukkottaiyaar. In 1981, then Chief Minister
of the
state, Mr.M.G. Ramachandran conferred posthumously the prestigious Bharathidasan
Award to Pattukkottaiyaar. Later in 1993, then Chief Minister Ms.
Jayalalitha Jayaram declared nationalization of Pattukkottaiyaar's
literary
works. A memorial structure, Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram
Manimandapam, has been erected in Pattukkottai and was
inaugurated by
then Chief Minister Mr. Muthuvel Karunanidhi in 2000.

'Makkal
Kavignar' is a reformer in principles

Kalyanasundaram was a simple rustic lad from an obscure
hamlet, who
launched himself into the spotlight of literary circles and became one
of the very few luminaries who cared for the illiterate and the
oppressed.
He was compassionate to the downtrodden and despised the unfaithful. He
treated friends with extreme respect and maintained lasting friendship
with several of them. He was a progressive thinker and expected the
society
to be so. He criticized the shackles of rigid caste practices. He
sarcastically
questions God,

In yet another song, he lambastes the 'creators' of the caste
barriers
and wonders about the consequences of these (in)visible barriers.

When it comes to marriage, for the Tamil society, blind faith
in traditions
overwhelm rationality. As time cascades and society evolves, there are
certain rituals and formalities which need to be jettisoned, as they
become
obsolete, in order to strengthen the foundation for the future
generations.
As 'Mahakavi' Bharathi
said 'Ini Oru Vithi Seivom', Pattukkottaiyaar too chalks out
his
plan to meet the time-demanded changes. Here it goes,

Raja Ram Mohan Rai brought about the liberation of widows by
legally
putting an end to the infamous 'Sati'. But this did not protect widows
from fire, the social fire. Widows are considered a social burden, even
today. Bharathidasan lashed out at this in several of his poems.
Pattukkottaiyaar too contributes his share,

His ideas were revolutionary. But revolutionaries alone cannot
make
big changes to the society. It is the followers, who have the
responsibility
to bring about the development. But this part largely remains
undone.

Acknowledgments and Notes
Thanks are due to K. Manoharan, who came up with the idea of
establishing
an exclusive website for Pattukkottaiyaar and patiently waited for me
to
complete this article. R. Mathivanan for arranging source materials and
accepting the expenses incurred by the process of collecting and
mailing
them. Dr. Ravikumar Aalinkeel at the State
University of New York at Buffalo, who spared his time to correct
the
manuscript at a short notice. Anandhi Narayanswamy for fine-tuning the
manuscript. The author acknowledges T. Govindaraj, creator of Palladam
Tamil font and Dr. K. Kalyanasundaram, creator of Mylai
Tamil font, which are used in this article. This article is intended to give a
brief account
of Pattukkottaiyaar's personal history, but not his literary
accomplishments.
Though based on available literature on Pattukkottaiyaar, it does not
claim
the chronological accuracy of events depicted here. The content of this
article is for academic and personal use only and may not be used for
commercial
purposes.

This article is dedicated to my school-time friend Mohan,
who is no more.

This article was created and first published on July 17, 1999 and last updated on July 3, 2011.
No substantial change has been made to contents of the original version. But the current version has tandem addition of two previously separate articles.

Plagiarism - The
above article, in part or full, has been copied by several others.
Please read this section to understand the background of the story!Plagiarism is an
unauthorized use of another author's work,
literary or otherwise, and representing it as one's original
work. The standard moral practice is that when a person writes an
article (or creates a work) on a topic and this person takes information
from someone else who has written on the same topic earlier, it is
customary to refer the earlier work in the 'References' section. Such
practice recognizes and gives credit to the original 'creator' of the
work.
However, in many a situation authors who are not familiar with standard
writing practices or perhaps knowingly resort to 'lifting' the entire
work of
others and publish it as their own. This may loosely be said as
'thievery'.

In this case, the above article on Pattukkottaiyaar (Pattukkottaiyaar
- Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram: A brief biography) was originally published
online in 1999. In 2001, tamilnation.org, a now defunct organization, copied
the entire article (excluding 'Acknowledgement' section and author information) and
used in their site, thus
effectively and purposefully excluding the original author and claiming
and plagiarizing
the entire work. My request to delete their version of my article or to
reinstate
the deleted section fell on deaf ears initially but later they
reinstated the authorship credentials. But in the meantime, I witnessed a
chain reaction of
copying, including an attempted posting in Wikipedia. Wikipedia
functions professionally and has software machinery to detect piracy and
reject pirated contributions. (Visit this link to learn about Pattukkottaiyaar article's Wikipedia episode).

Following
list
includes website and a book that I am aware of, that use the above
Pattukkottaiyaar
article in part, or to its entirely without referring to the above
original
article. While the websites plagiarize the text and/or images, the book
apparently copied two Pattukkottaiyaar's images on this page (These
images were morphed by me from an original version in 1999 specifically
for this article) and used in their book. Thank you for reading
this part of the article and getting to know this work's background.Please take a moment to inform me about any plagiarism of this article elsewhere that you might happen to come across, at: dnavaneetham@mannankadu.org. Thankfully - Duraiswamy Navaneetham

The following list contains
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